IMOGEN’S STORY

Imogen Clifton (she/her) is an Artist, from the UK, who now lives in Santa Cruz, California.

Imogen graduated from the University of the West of England in 2016 with a First Class Honors degree in Illustration, specialising in Children’s Book Illustration.

Following this, Imogen visited Artist Residencies in countries such as Colombia and India, finding inspiration from immersing herself in the cultures there. It was then that Imogen began writing and illustrating a children’s book about grief. Alongside this, she started her own business selling jewellery that she had designed.

In 2019, tragically Imogen’s partner, Jon Lewin, drowned whilst surfing when they were on vacation together in Sri Lanka. Imogen’s world was turned upside down and painting became a deeply therapeutic outlet for navigating her grief. She found solace in continuing to work on her children’s book about grief, that had now become even more poignant.

A year later, Imogen visited a healing, grief retreat in California and stayed with a friend from the UK, who later became her husband. Slowly Imogen began the process of moving from the UK to California and starting a fresh.

In 2022, now a mother settled in California, Imogen’s world was rocked again when her14 year old brother, Harry Clifton, died in a car accident. Imogen went back to working on her book as a form of healing and a way of making sense of her internal landscape.

Now in 2024, Imogen is married (Imogen Shaw) and a mother. Her artistry has many outlets including interior design, painting and ceramics.

As well as an Artist, Imogen also considers herself a grief advocate and mentors others on ways to express their grief so that they can live and love more fully.

Imogen has recently finished her children’s book and is currently looking for a publisher.